Machine tool retrieval and interchange system

ABSTRACT

A machine tool including, a rotatable turret having oppositely disposed tool holders for alternatively positioning one of the tool holders in an active or cutting position relative to a workpiece and the other of the tool holders in an inactive or idle position, a magazine having a plurality of tool holding devices successively movable past a tool interchange station, tool transfer means for transferring tools between the magazine and the inactive turret tool holder, and means for retrieving a desired tool from the magazine. The retrieving means includes a stationary memory bank mounted independent of the magazine tool holding devices. The memory bank has a memory element allocated to each of the magazine tool holding devices which is susceptive of storing the arbitrary identifier of a tool positioned in the magazine tool holder to which it is allocated, and an accessing circuit for successively accessing the magazine tool holder memory elements as the tool holders to which they are respectively allocated successively move past the interchange station. A comparison circuit successively compares the identifiers stored in the successively accessed memory elements with the identifier of a desired tool, producing an output when the identifier of the desired tool is located at the interchange station. The contents of the memory elements allocated to the magazine tool storage devices, as well as certain additional memroy elements allocated to the turret tool holders, are updated when a tool is transferred between the magazine and the inactive turret tool holder or between the active and inactive turret tool holders.

United States Patent [1 1 Gardner [4s] July 10, 1973 MACHINE TOOL RETRIEVAL AND INTERCHANGE SYSTEM [75] Inventor: Louis T. Gardner, Cincinnati, Ohio [73] Assignee: Le Blond Incorporated, Cincinnati,

Ohio

[22] Filed: Sept. 12, 1969 [21] Appl. No.: 857,531

[52] US. Cl. 29/568, 214/164 R, 340/1462, 29/26 A [51] Int. Cl B23q 3/155 [58] Field of Search 29/568, 264; 214/11 AS, 16.4 P; 340/1462, 149

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,825,476 3/1958 Muller 214/11 AS 3,049,247 8/1962 Lemelson 214/164 X 3,443,310 5/1969 Burroughs et al. 29/568 3,543,392 12/1970 Perry et al. 29/568 X 3,576,540 4/1961 Fair et al. 29/568 X Primary Examiner-Andrew R. Juhasz Assistant Examiner-Z. R. Bilinsky Attorney-Wood, Herron and Evans [57] ABSTRACT A machine tool including, a rotatable turret having oppositely disposed tool holders for alternatively positioning one of the tool holders in an active or cutting position relative to a workpiece and the other of the tool holders in an inactive or idle position, a magazine having a plurality of tool holding devices successively movable past a tool interchange station, tool transfer means for transferring tools between the magazine and the inactive turret tool holder, and means for retrieving a desired tool from the magazine. The retrieving means includes a stationary memory bank mounted independent of the magazine tool holding devices. The memory bank has a memory element allocated to each of the magazine tool holding devices which is susceptive of storing the arbitrary identifier of a tool positioned in the magazine tool holder to which it is allocated, and an accessing circuit for successively accessing the mag azine tool holder memory elements as the tool holders to which they are respectively allocated successively move past the interchange station. A comparison circuit successively compares the identifiers stored in the successively accessed memory elements with the identifier of a desired tool, producing an output when the identifier of the desired tool is located at the interchange station. The contents of the memory elements allocated to the magazine tool storage devices, as well as certain additional memroy elements allocated to the turret tool holders, are updated when a tool is transferred between the magazine and the inactive turret tool holder or between the active and inactive turret tool holders.

12 Claims, 72 Drawing Figures PATENIED JUL 1 01973 y 3. 744. 1 24 m 02H 39 KMQN.

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1. For use in combination with a machine tool having tools assigned identifiers for retrieval purposes, the tool retrieval system comprising: a plurality of tool holders sequentially movable past a reference station, a memory bank having a plurality of memory elements which are stationary and independently mounted relative to said movable tool holders, each of said memory elements being allocated to a different one of said tool holders for storiNg therein the arbitrary identifier assigned to a tool held by the tool holder to which said memory element is allocated, reading means for reading said memory elements, means for synchronizing the reading of said memory elements and said sequential movement of said tool holders, and means responsive to said reading means to develop an output in response to reading a memory element containing the identifier of a desired tool for locating said desired tool at said reference station.
 2. For use in combination with a machine tool having tools assigned arbitrary identifiers for retrieval purposes, a tool retrieval system comprising: a plurality of tool holders for holding individual tools, a reference station, drive means for relatively moving said reference station and successive ones of said tool holders, a memory bank mounted independent of said tool holders and having a plurality of memory elements each assignable to a tool holder, said memory elements storing the identifiers assigned to tools held by tool holders to which said memory elements are assigned, accessing means for successively accessing said memory elements assigned to said successive ones of said tool holders while said reference station and said successive ones of said tool holders move relative to each other, and control means for generating an output in response to accessing a memory element containing the identifier of a desired tool held by one of said tool holders for locating said desired tool relative to said reference station.
 3. For use in combination with a machine tool having tools assigned arbitrary identifiers for retrieval purposes and at least one tool holder positionable in operative relation to a workpiece, the tool retrieval and interchange system comprising: a plurality of tool storing devices successively movable past a tool interchange station, each of said tool storing devices being operative to temporarily store a tool, a first set of memory elements for storing the identifiers of tools stored in said tool storing devices, said memory elements being mounted stationarily and independently relative to said movable tool storing devices, at least one tool holder memory element for storing the identifier of a tool located in said tool holder, said tool holder memory element being mounted stationarily and independently relative to said tool holder and tool storing devices, means for reading successive ones of said memory elements of said first set in synchronism with the successive movement of said tool storage devices past said interchange station, transfer means for transferring a tool between said tool holder and said magazine, and control means responsive to said reading means for actuating said transfer means to transfer a desired tool whose identifier has been read by said reading means to said tool holder and for storing in said tool holder memory element the identifier of said transferred tool.
 4. The system of claim 3 including at least two tool holders alternatively positionable in operative relation to said workpiece, at least two tool holder memory elements for storing the identifiers of tools located in said tool holders, and means for up-dating said tool holder memories to reflect an interchange of the tool holder operatively positioned relative to said workpiece.
 5. In a machine tool having tools assigned identifiers for retrieval purposes, a source of programming data supplying the identifiers of desired tools, a toolholder cooperable with a work piece, a tool storage magazine for storing tools in individual tool storing devices, and a tool transfer means for transferring tools between said magazine and said tool holder, the improvement comprising: a magazine tool storage memory element allocated to each magazine tool storage device for storing the identifiers of stored tools, a tool holder memory element for storing the identifier of a tool stored in said toolholder, control means responsive to said data source for first searching said tool holder memory element for the identifier of a desired tool and if the identifier of said desired tool is not found therein thereafter searching said magazine memory elements, and memory element up-dating means for up-dating the contents of said memory elements to reflect the transfer of a tool between said magazine and said tool holder.
 6. In a machine tool having tools assigned identifiers for retrieval purposes, a source of programming data supplying the identifiers of desired tools, a tool holder cooperable with a workpiece, a tool storage magazine for storing tools in individual tool storage devices movable past an interchange station, and tool transfer means for transferring tools between said magazine and said tool holder, the improvement comprising: a memory bank having a plurality of stationary memory elements, said memory elements being allocated to different ones of said storage devices for storing therein the arbitrary identifier assigned to a tool stored by the respective storage device to which said memory element is allocated, at least one tool holder memory element for storing the identifier of a tool located in said storage device, means for comparing the identifiers stored in said magazine memory elements with the identifier of a desired tool in synchronism with the movement of said tool storage devices past said interchange station, means responsive to said comparison means for actuating said transfer means to effect transfer of said desired tool from said magazine to said tool holder, and means for storing in said tool holder memory element the identifier of said transferred tool and erasing the contents of the memory element assigned to the tool storage device from which said transferred tool was withdrawn.
 7. In a machine tool having a tool storage magazine with a plurality of tool storage devices movable past an interchange station and storing tools assigned identifiers for retrieval purposes, the improvement comprising: an individual memory element allocated to each of said tool storage devices and being mounted stationarily and independent of said movable tool storage devices, means for accessing said memory elements in synchronism with the movement of said tool storage devices, means for comparing the tool identifier stored in said accessed memory elements with the identifier of a desired tool, and means responsive to said comparison means for terminating tool storage device movement and thereby positioning at said station the storage device to which is allocated the memory element containing the identifier of the desired tool.
 8. In a machine tool having a tool storage magazine with a plurality of tool storage devices movable past an interchange station and storing tools assigned identifiers for retrieval purposes, the improvement comprising: an individual memory element allocated to each of said tool storage devices and being mounted stationarily and independent of said movable tool storage devices, means for providing successive outputs in synchronism with the movement of successive tool storage devices past said interchange station, and means responsive to said successive outputs for accessing successive ones of said memory elements in synchronism with the successive movement of the tool storage devices to which said successively accessed memory elements are allocated.
 9. The improvement of claim 8 further including means for terminating tool storage device movement for positioning at said interchange station the storage device to which is allocated the accessed memory element containing the identifier of a desired tool.
 10. A method of processing tools comprising the steps of: indexing tool holders relative to a tool transfer station, assigning arbitrary tool identifiers to tools to be stored in said tool holders, inserting tools into said inDexed tool holders when said tool holders are located at said transfer station, accessing, in synchronism with the indexing of the movable tool holders, memory elements which are allocated to different ones of said tool holders and which are stationary relative to said movable tool holders, entering into the accessed elements allocated to tool holders into which tools are inserted the identifiers assigned to tools inserted in the respective tool holders, reading the identifiers entered in memory elements in synchronism with said tool holder indexing, comparing the read identifiers with the identifier of a tool to be retrieved, generating a control signal in response to a favorable comparison, and utilizing said control signal to locate the tool to be retrieved at said transfer station.
 11. The method of claim 10 including the further steps of: transferring the tool to be retrieved to a utilization station, and storing the identifier of said transferred tool in a first stationary memory element allocated to said utilization station and erasing the contents of the stationary memory element allocated to the tool holder from which said transferred tool was removed.
 12. The method of claim 10 including the further steps of: transferring the tool to be retrieved to an inactive turret tool holder mounted on a rotatable turret also having an active tool holder, storing the identifier of said transferred tool in a first stationary memory element allocated to said inactive turret tool holder and erasing the contents of the stationary memory element allocated to the magazine tool holder from which said transferred tool was removed, and rotating said turret to position the tool transferred to said turret to an active turret tool holder position, and effectively interchanging the contents of the stationary memory element allocated to said inactive turret tool holder and a stationary memory element allocated to said active turret tool holder, thereby updating the turret tool holder memory elements to reflect the interchange of tools occasioned by rotation of said turret. 